Moving stairway landing



July 18, 1933. R. P. VALTIER MOVING STAIRWAY LANDING Filed June 28, 1930 INVENTOR fia pfi P, l q/77'er BY M/% ATTORNEY Patented July 18, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RALPH PAUL VALTIER, OF YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO HAROLD W. SHONN'ARD, 0F MQNTCLAIR, NEW JERSEY MOVING STAIBWAY LANDING Application filed June 28,

This invention relates to improvements in moving stairway landings.

Its object is to provide an improved arrangement of the movable and stationary parts at an end of a moving stairway for the purpose of increasing its safety and of providing an apparatus which may be run at higher rates of speed than has been possible heretofore.

One of its objects is to provide a stationary landing at an end of a plurality of moving steps, where they are positioned with their treads in a common plane, no part of which shall project above such a plane, thereby eliminating a ledge on which passengers stumble. More specifically, its object is to provide means at each end of a moving stairway whereby passengers may be taken on or be discharged safely, without lateral change in the direction of transit, from steps substantially level with the platforms when at the respective terminal floors.

In one prior form of moving stairway, means has been provided to take on or dis charge passengers from platforms at the level of the terminal floors, but only to the right or left of the direction of transit.

In another prior form of a moving stairway, the steps are guided to landings at the level of the respective terminal floors and as each step approaches the landing it is de pressed to pass under the landing. By this arrangement the passenger in order to leave the stairway must either step across the gap created by the depressed step ahead of the one on which he stands, or the passenger must step up and on to the platform from the depressed step, failing which to do, the passengers feet are ex osed to being crushed between the followlng step and the edge of the landing.

In another and well known prior form of moving stairway, means has been provided to take on or discharge passengers without change in the direction of transit; but in this arrangement, the landing platforms are substantially above the level of the steps when the latter are at the terminal floors and when a passenger transfers from the moving steps to a stationary platform or vice versa, he is 1930. Serial No. 464,475.

obliged to step up or step down a distance ap roximately one-quarter the rise of a step.

ccording to my invention, slotted tread surfaces on the steps upon which the passengers are carried, enter horizontally substantially at the floor level, a slotted portion of a floor level landing, and when the slotted treads of the steps are substantially in full mesh therewith they are depressed, whereupon the passenger may Walk from the stairway with substantially no change in plane or direction of motion.

A still further object of the mechanism herein described is the combination of elements whereby the above mode of landing the passengers is attained without causing openings or changes of plane to occur between adjacent steps of the stairway at the landings or between the steps and the landing platforms that might result in injury to the passengers. A still further object is to simplify the construction and provide one which occupies a minimum of space.

I will describe the invention in the following specification and point out its novel features in claims.

The drawing is a sectional elevation of a moving stairway which embodies my invention.

10 designates the carriages in the form of steps, the treads of which are formed of spaced parallel ribs 11 forming a slotted surface. Each of these carriages-comprises a bracket 12 which carries two supporting members, an upper one comprising a roller 13 under the forward end of the tread and a lower one comprising a roller 14 under the rear end of the tread. This arrangement is such as to prevent any rocking of the carriage by a shifting of the weighton it. The upper rollers 13 travel :in a guide rail which comprises a curved portion 15 and a straight horizontal terminal portion 16. The lower rollers travel in a guide rail which comprises a curved portion 17 and a horizontal straight portion 18. Beyond this is an offset portion '19 and another short horizontal part which runs into an arcuate track 20 for guiding v the lower rollers 1'4.

The upper supporting members are interconnected by a sprocket chain 21 which runs around a sprocket wheel 22. The latter is provided with recessesin its periphery for receiving the upper rollers 13 and therefore forms a continuation of the upper or outer guide rail. v

The parts thus described are so proportioned and arranged that when the rollers 13 and 14 of two of the carriers are in the parallel portions 16 and 18 of their respective guide rails, their treads are in a common plane, as shown at 11A and 1113. Then, as the roller 13 of one carriage is carried past the vertical axis of the sprocket wheel 22 and is moved downwardly thereby, the roller 14 of the same carriage is moved downwardly a similar amount by passing through the offset portion 19 of its guide rail. This results in depressing the carrier while maintaining its tread in a horizontal position, as shown at 11C. The risers of the steps are curved as shown at 24 and the guidways are so proportioned and arranged that these curved riser surfaces are kept in close proximity to the forward edge of the tread of the adjacent step. It is to be understood that the construction shown and described is at one side of the carriers and that there are similar parts on the other side of them.

30 is a slotted landing with teeth 31 which are adapted to mesh with the slotted surface formed by the ribs 11. The upper surface of the landing and its teeth is fiat and no part of this surface extends above the plane of the ribs 11A and 11B. In fact it is shown with its upper surface horizontal and slightly below the plane of the top of ribs 11A and 11B. The teeth of the landing extend only slightly beyond the forward edges of the ribs 11B, but extend entirely across the space in which the carriage is depressed.

It may be seen that with the particular construction shown, the tread 1113 as it advances is gradually depressed and in this manner, and when it is substantially wholly in mesh from front to rear with the landing, it will then, all at the same time, pass below the tread surface of the landing and in this way a person standing on said tread is simply deposited on the landing comb all at the same time instead of being raised toe first from the tread as with former construction. Moreover, in this arrangement there is no ledge on which the passenger can trip and the result is that the passengers are transferred from the moving steps to the stationary platform more easily and more safely. This makes it possible to run the steps at a much higher rate of speed and to thereby increase the carrying capacity of the apparatus. Furthermore, with this construction it is not necessary to have an extended run of treads in a common plane, with the result that the whole landing is shorter and more compact than others. The mechanism described can be used to the same advantage at either or both ends of stairs moving in either direction. As a result of this construction the solid portion of the landing may be considerably thicker than the former constructions, thereby resulting in greater strength.

. I intend. no limitations other than those lmposed by the appended claims as modifications of construction can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is not essential that the step treads be above or at exactly the same level as the landing when they mesh with it.

What I claim is:

1. In a moving stairway mechanism, a slotted landing, a series of interconnected movable steps having curved risers and slotted treads arranged to mesh horizontally in succession with the slotted landing, and at substantially the same level therewith, upper and lower supporting wheels for each step, guides for said wheels, the guides for the lower wheels having two substantially horizontal portions in different planes and an interconnecting portion, said guide portions being relatively disposed to impart a vertical component of movement to the steps while in mesh with the landing, whereby a substantially uniform distance between the curved risers and the ends of the horizontal treads of the adjacent steps is maintained during said vertical movement.

2. In a moving stairway mechanism, a slotted landing, a series of interconnected movable steps having curved risers and slotted treads arranged to mesh horizontally in succession with the slotted landing, and at substantially the same level therewith, upper and lower supporting wheels for each step, guides for said wheels, the guides for the lower wheels having two substantially horizontal portions in different planes and an interconnecting portion, said guides be: ing relatively disposed to impart a vertical component of movement to the steps while in mesh with the landing within a distance substantially equal to the width of a step, whereby a substantially uniform distance between the curved risers and the ends of the horizontal treads of the adjacent steps is maintained during said vertical movement.

3. In a moving stairway mechanism, a slotted landing, a series of steps, slotted treads arranged to mesh successively with the slotted landing, and at substantially the same level therewith, upper and lower supporting wheels for each step, guides for said wheels, linked roller chains supported on the axles of said upper wheels to impart motion to the steps, sprocket wheels for the chain, the guide rail for the upper wheels having a portion adjacent the landing arranged to cause the axial path of the upper supporting wheels to intersect the pitch circle of the sprockets tangentially, and an inclined portion in the guides for the lower wheels, adjacent the landing to transfer said lower wheels from one to another substantially horizontal plane of movement.

- 4. In a moving stairwa mechanism, a slotted landing having an inclined under portion, a series of steps having risers and slotted treads beveled at one end, arranged to mesh horizontally in succession with the slotted landing, and at substantially the same level therewith, upper and lower supporting wheels for each step, guides for said wheels, linked roller chains supported on the axles of said upper wheels to impart motion to the steps, sprocket wheels for the chain, the guide rails for the upper wheels having asubstantially horizontal portion adjacent the landing, the guides for the lower wheels having substantially horizontal portions in different planes and an interconnecting inclined portion adjacent the landing, said guide portions being relatively disposed to maintain a substantially uniform distance between the risers and the ends of the horizontal treads of the adjacent steps, as the beveled ends of said treads pass below the upper surface of the inclined under portion of the landing.

5. In a moving stairway mechanism, a substantially horizontal slotted landing, a series of movable interconnected steps having curved risers and slotted treads arranged to mesh horizontally with the slotted landing, and means for guiding the steps successively to a level at which the upper surfaces of the treads thereon are substantially horizontal and close to the plane of the upper surface of the landing, to move said steps longitudinally at said level into mesh with the landing and to depress the steps below said level, said means including a guide for the steps having two offset portions connected by an inclined portion whereby a substantially uniform distance between the curved risers and the ends of the horizontal treads of the adjacent steps is maintained during said longitudinal and depressing movement.

6. In a moving stairway mechanism, a substantially horizontal slotted landing, a series of I movable interconnected steps having curved risers and slotted threads arranged to mesh horizontally with the slotted landing, and means for guiding the steps successively to a level at which the upper surfaces of the treads thereon are substantially horizontal and close to the plane of the upper surface of the landing, to move said steps longitudinally at said level into substantially full mesh with the landing and to depress the steps below said level, said meansincluding a guide 0 for the steps having two offset portions connected by an inclined portion whereby a substantially uniform distance between the curved risers and the ends of the horizontal treads of the adjacent steps is maintained during said longitudinal and depressing movement.

7. In a moving stairway mechanism, a landing having a slotted and an unslotted portion, a series of movable interconnected steps having curved risers and slotted treads arranged to mesh horizontally in succession with the slotted portion of the landing, and at substantially the same level therewith, upper and lower supporting wheels for each step, guides for the wheels, the guides for the lower wheels having two substantially horizontal portions in different planes and an interconnecting portion, said guide portions being relatively disposed to impart a vertical component of movement to the steps while in mesh with the landing whereby a substantially uniform distance between the risers and the ends of the horizontal treads of the adjacent steps is maintained until the ends of the treads opposite the ends thereof which are adjacent the upper wheels, pass below the upper surface of the landing.

8. In a moving stairway mechanism, a landing having a slotted and an unslotted portion and an inclined under portion between the slotted and unslotted portions thereof, a series of movable interconnected steps having curved risers and slotted treads beveled at one end arranged to mesh horizontally in succession with the slotted portion of the landing, and at substantially the same level therewith, upper and lower supporting wheels for each step, guides for said wheels, linked roller chains of the upper wheels to impart motion to the steps, sprocket w'heels for the chain, the guide rails of the upper wheels having a substantially horizontal portion adjacent the landing, the guides for the lower wheels having substantially horizontal portions in dif-. ferent planes and an interconnecting inclined portion adjacent the landing, said guide portions being relatively disposed to impart a vertical com onent of movement to the steps while in mes with the landing and to maintain a substantially uniform distance between the risers and the ends of the horizontal treads of adjacent steps, as the beveled ends of saidtreads pass below the upper surface of the inclined under portion of the landing and until the opposite end of the treads pass below the surface of the slotted portion of the landing.

RdLPH PAUL VALTIER. 

